A Blossom Blooms But Once
by Sincerely C
Summary: Kurenai has betrayed her village and gone against the man who desperately loves her. Her return brings about emotions she does not wish to face. KurenaixItachi.


"You-You left us here! How dare you come back here after all this time?" Kurenai's stony expression revealed no remorse or pain at her once beloved student's hateful tone. The large cloak dwarfed the women, giving her a petite appearance that conveyed no danger. In fact, she didn't look dangerous at all, yet those eyes seemed to reveal a person that was no longer the Kurenai Yuhi that Hinata knew. This was a new Kurenai; a traitorous murderer that cared for no one but herself and perhaps her lover. The gash in her headband was illuminated by the moonlight, making her seem so much more ominous and condescending.

"Is that all then, Hinata? Because I'm afraid there is a rendezvous point I have to get to, and I can't be late." Hinata just stared at the woman that had once been her sensei.

"You've become him! You became the man whose name you once cursed! You are the Mrs. Itachi Uchiha!" The corners of the woman's mouth slightly twitched upward at this.

A small tree sprung forth from the floor and wrapped itself around the white eyed girl, squeezing her tighter until she lost consciousness. It then disappeared, allowing gravity to take the Hyūga to the floor.

Seeing her old pupil reminded Kurenai so much of her time in the village. A single tear streamed down her face. It was so hard to come back here and to see all of this, to see that her students were all grown up, and that they had grown to hate her. She wanted to leave but it was her mission to capture the Kyuubi, and it was best to catch Naruto off guard, while he was still settling in to the village. He had left them too, but it had not been under the same circumstances. He had left to become a hero; she had left to become a villain.

_Kurenai stood at the top of the village walls, staring at the place she had lived her whole life. It was hard to believe that it would never be her home again. But this was a choice that she made for herself and one that she found no regret in._

"Kurenai, don't you dare!" The kunoichi turned around to see Asuma bounding towards her with his prized student tailing close behind.

"This doesn't concern you Asuma, and it _**certainly**__ doesn't involve Shikamaru," she spat out at them. Why couldn't they just leave her be?_

"You are planning on betraying not only Konoha, but the entire Fire Country! It therefore concerns us, entirely!" Kurenai smiled slightly at his enthusiasm to be the big hero and save the day. If only he'd had the same eagerness when she was there. "This isn't some game! This is real life and you are throwing yours away for some reason I don't think I'll ever understand!"

"You're right Asuma. Odds are that you'll never understand the reasons for this, but nevertheless, I still plan to do what I wish and you can't stop me." Shikamaru stood there in silence, pondering the possible reasons that Kurenai-sensei would ever even consider leaving the village.

"Yes I can!" Asuma charged at Kurenai, but his every advance was dodged easily by the quick woman, and he was soon left struggling to escape one of her many trees.

"Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru yelled out in concern, before looking back at the woman. "Kurenai-sensei, you have to be out of your mind! Please listen to reason!"

"I'm afraid that Kurenai will be coming with me, young Nara. But thank you for the sentiment."

"W-who is this? What are you talking about?" Shikamaru searched in each direction for the voice. Kurenai stifled a giggle at the boy's confusion, but quickly regained her emotionless expression.

_Shikamaru abandoned his attempts at finding the source of the voice and ran towards his now unconscious teacher. As he approached the tree, he was intercepted by a raven haired man similar to Sasuke in appearance. Entranced by the red eyes, he watched as the black within them began to spin. _

_"Tsukuyomi!"_

It had been nearly three years since Kurenai betrayed her village. All connections she had felt in her time there had been severed; all except one. One man couldn't let her go. She was not a traitor in his eyes; Kurenai was a friend that had taken a wrong path. The woman shifted her gaze from the unconscious Hinata to the flowerbox on the windowsill. The blossoms were still their brilliant color. They had stayed alive throughout the whole ordeal because of one man's dedication to a woman that would never love him back. Kurenai pulled a kunai out from the black and red cloak and cut a single blossom off of its stem.

Kurenai found the note she had written so long ago, still on the table. She now knew exactly how he had found out her plans way back then.

_A blossom blooms but once and it is the caretaker's responsibility to keep it alive. If a flower is abandoned, it will wilt and die. There is but one chance to bask in the presence of the blossom if the caretaker is not diligent with its care. It will be gone soon after. - Kurenai_

She had copied it out of gardening handbook someone had given her. It seemed to fit the situation quite well. She traced the scratch in her headband with her finger for what seemed like the hundredth time since she had reentered the Fire Country.

"Kurenai, do you read me?" asked the voice on her headset.

"Yes, Itachi, I'll meet you at the rendezvous point. I just had some personal business to settle."

"It isn't easy the first time you enter your home country, it never is, but it will soon be easier."

"Okay. I'll see you soon, Itachi love." Kurenai gave the flowers one more glance before exiting her old apartment that Asuma had kept exactly as she had left it.

Empty.


End file.
